truce in place. residents of gaza rejoice as israel and hamas agree to cease-fire. many wonder whether it will hold. israeli forces and hamas militants traded fire for more than a week. they rained rockets on each other right up to a deadline but they agreed to a cease-fire and for now, it appears to be holding.

both sides promised to end all hostilities, including rocket attacks and the targeting of individuals. israeli officials agreed to open border crossings and allow the free movement of people and goods. that clause is scheduled to take effect after 24 hours. >> translator: after all the efforts, we were able to end violence and achieve a cease-fire. >> the egyptian foreign minister brokered the talks. he reaffirmed egypt's commitment to the palestinian cause and a need for just resolution. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton helped negotiate the deal. she promised to work with partners in the region. the israeli military killed about 160 palestinians during the conflict. palestinian militants fired

rockets from the gaza strip that killed five israelis. prime minister netanyahu said the right thing is to reach a lasting cease-fire but he warned of a wider military operation if security was threatened. hamas leader mashau warned his forces would resume attacks if israel broke the truce. people in jerusalem are wondering if the cease-fire will hold. cohey sue gee has covered the middle east for years. he was in gaza on the first day of the offensive. kohei, why did the two sides agree to this truce? >> reporter: well, thousands of rockets have been fired since israeli forces withdrew from gaza in 2005. the israelis seemed to have come to the conclusion that they succeed the in reducing the ability of hamas to attack. and i think the influence of the u.s. contributed to bringing about the cease-fire. of course, americans have long

been allies and patrons of israelis. secretary of state clinton interrupted her trip to asia to bring weight to the negotiations. we should also note that israelis will have election next january and further casualties on their side would not look good on the current leadership. prime minister netanyahu threatened a ground invasion. most here think that would not have been a practical option. from the hamas point of view, they got one of the things that they have long asked for. the israelis are expected to ease the siege that would allow more movement of people and goods. so hamas leadership can justify the cease-fire by saying that they achieved something. >> k oft hei, you know the history of such agreements. how long do you think this truce will last? >> well, we have to be cause about how we frame this. and we have seen a number of

them broken. so consider who played the role of mediator. egyptian leaders hosted the talks and acted as a regional broker for the deal. and it's not insignificant that egyptian foreign minister amoh announced the agreement. of course, secretary clinton was there behind him but egyptian president mohamed morsi has deep connection with hamas and it suggests they must take responsibility if the cease-fire is broken. u.s. president barack obama welcomed the truce. he told netanyahu the u.s. would use the opportunity to accept israel address its security needs, including the smuggling of weapons and explosives into

gaza. obama also spoke with president morsi and thanked him for his leadership in the negotiations. they agreed on the importance of working toward a more durable solution to the situation in gaza. greek leaders are wringing their hands as they wait to find out whether they'll get loans they need to cover their expenses. ai uchida joins us from the business team. the greeks seem to face one drama after another, what now? >> all they can do at the moment is wait for the next act to begin. decisions keep getting postponed so the prime minister of greece strongly urged the early provision of additional bailout. the appeal was made after eurozone finance ministers failed again to reach a deal. finance ministers from the 17 eurozone countries gathered in bus zells earlier this week to discuss the extra rescue funds of 31.5 billion euros for greece. however, the talks stalled so they decided to meet again next

monday. samanas released a statement on wednesday. he said greece did what it had to do and "our partners in the imf have a duty to do what they have taken on." he said the stability of the entire eurozone depends on the outcome of the next meeting. greece is becoming frustrated over the delay in the bailout decision. greek lawmakers approved extra austerity measures worth over 13 billion euros earlier this month. let's take a check on the markets. the yen is being sold against both the d euro on speculation that japan's central bank may take additional monetary easing measures. the dollar/yen is currently 82.51-54. the euro/yen is 106.07-12. analysts say that the yen's fall is also driven by concerns over japan's reduced exports. trade balance in october marked the largest deficit on record for that month. now let's take a look at how stocks are performing. tokyo share prices are

recovering this thursday morning to the 9,300 level for the first time since early may. the key nikkei index at 9318. that's a gain of over 1% so far in the day. analysts say that market players are buying export-related shares as the yen weakens. investors have high hopes for an earnings recovery of exporters. an overnight rise on wall street, that also is helping push shares up here in tokyo. let's take a look at other markets that are open this hour. in south korea, the kospi is trading higher by almost .8%, currently 1898. let's take a look at australia. the benchmark index there is trading well over 1%. 1.3% at 4426. ministers from japan and south korea are discussing a broad range of economic issues. japan apparently hopes that the two countries will reassert the importance of their economic ties and that's despite a

souring in their political relations due to a territorial dispute. the working-level talks in seoul on thursday will be attended by japanese deputy foreign minister koji and south korean deputy trade minister yi. they're expected to trade opinions on various matters including trade, investment and tourism. their topics are expected to include a free trade agreement between japan, south korea and china. the three countries agreed on tuesday to start talks on a tri-lateral fta. due to the territorial dispute between japan and south korea, an official meeting between the top leaders did not take place on the isidelines of the asean summit earlier this week. the world inhabitants could soon find themselves outnumbered by cell phones. the number of mobile subscriptions will exceed 9 billion in six years. analysts at seed den's sweden's

erickson. 7.2 billion for 2013, almost level with the world's population. and 9.3 billion by the end of 2018. users are expected then to have 3.3 billion smartphones, accounting for one-third of devices. chinese and asia-pacific residents are expected to increase mobile subscriptions the most. advances in network technology will few the mobile boom. as worldwide consumers embrace mobile devices, leaders at microsoft have had to roll with the changes. managers at the pc giant are pinning hoped on their new operating system windows 8. nhk world's rosa sebrino has more. >> it really is an exciting,

exciting day. windows 8 -- >> reporter: microsoft released what it hopes is its latest top operating system. windows 8 went on sale in more than 140 countries and territories last month. the software gives pc users a completely new interface. the tiles operate by touch, much like mobile device interfaces. it's a major change and a bold challenge. but will it be successful? the tablet computer market is now dominated by apple. microsoft's key rival. windows 8 is microsoft's attempt to gain ground in this growing market. microsoft also released its first-ever tablet device running on windows 8. this is microsoft's new surface tablet which has a cover that functions as a keyboard and also features the windows 8 live tiles. four million copies of windows 8

were sold worldwide in the first three days of its launch. sales are growing at a record pace. however, unlike apple, microsoft doesn't have an extensive lineup of software applications. to change that, microsoft is working with outside software developers to create applications for windows 8. at this gamemaker in new york, engineers have taken classic pc games and redesigned them for windows 8. >> well, that was a very exciting opportunity for us. with minesweeper having been around for so long, you know to right click to set a flag. how do i right click with my finger? and we tested and iterated and tried to get a lot of things that felt really natural and organic. >> reporter: microsoft's recent change in its executive team

also presents challenges. on november 12th, steven sin months abruptly quit as head of the windows division. he led the development of windows 8 and the surface tablet computer. and he was the face of the company at new product launches. he was thought to be a future candidate for chief executive, but according to the u.s. media, he may have fallen out with the current ceo steve balmer and other executives. microsoft is using its pc-based expertise to help it succeed in the computer market. but the challenges it faces are considerable. the focus in the coming months will be on increasingly fierce competition with its main rival, apple. rosa sobrino, nhk world, new york. that is all for business at this hour.

i'll leave you with a check on regional markets. diplomats from the world's leading powers say they're ready to start talking again about iran's nuclear program. catherine ashton met in brussels with members of the u.n. security council and germany. negotiators suspended the so-called six-party talks on iran's nuclear program in june. ashton and her counterparts

issued a statement after their meeting. they confirmed they would start negotiations with the eiranians as soon as possible. they're demanding iranian leaders halt their nuclear program. scientists have enriched uranium to 20% purity. beyond that level they can quickly develop uranium to weapons grade. iranians want other negotiators to lift all sanctions. the u.n. security council has strongly condemned rebels in congo who have seized the eastern city. a resolution adopted unanimously demands the rebels surrender their weapons and withdraw. the council met on tuesday after several hundred fighters from insurgent group m23 entered the city. the resolution calls for tougher sanctions including an arms embargo on the group's leaders and countries supporting it. the u.n. has already imposed sanctions on m23. the council says rwanda supports the rebels. the security situation in eastern congo remains dire.

m23 and other armed groups are fighting to extend their influence in the region. more than 400,000 people in and around goma have been displaced. the u.n. says more violence could drastically increase the flood of refugees. thousands of people waiting to go home. tons of debris waiting for disposal. vast tracts of land waiting to be restored. overcoming the challenges of japan's 2011 disaster won't be easy, but step by step, people are moving forward. find out how on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time right here on "newsline." a four-legged robot is poised to go where no one has gone before, inside the damaged reactors at fukushima daiichi. researchers at electronicsmaker toshiba developed the

animal-like machine to help emergency workers know what they're dealing with inside the destroyed reactors. the radio-controlled robot stands about one meter tall, has four 70-centimeter long legs, six video cameras and a radiation detector. it can step over obstacles up to 40 centimeters high and climb up and down stairs. a small vehicle fitted with a camera can be unloaded from the top of the robot to roam tiny spaces like the undersides of pipes. toshiba officials say the machine can work for 300 days in a high-radiation environment. >> translator: we'll improve machines by making it possible for multiple units to work together as one and work as humans in places humans can't go. >> toshiba officials are proposing that tokyo electric power company, the operator of the fukushima plant, use the robot to research how to scrap the damaged reactors. decommissioning in the wake of

the meltdown is expected to take from 30 to 40 years. a russian developer plans to build a hotel on one of the four russian-held islands off hokkaido claimed by japan. japanese officials say the plan is unacceptable. the russian firm presented the idea at a meeting on tourism development in sahalan province in the russian far east. the developers plan to build a hot spring resort for 100 guests by the year of 2015. if realized it will be the first such venture by a russian firm on the disputed islands. russia is stepping up efforts to develop tourism on the islands. the government has built a new airport and is organizing foreign sightseeing tours. japanese consular officials say they oppose the plan as russia may use tourism to justify greater control of the territory. a lucky tourist in south korea has been given an unexpected welcome.

the chinese woman arrived in seoul to be greeted as this year's ten millionth tourist, a new record. seoul's international airport celebrated the occasion on wednesday with a welcome ceremony. the chinese visitor from shanghai was presented with flowers and a gift. the new record tops last year's 9.8 million tourists. the culture minister said tourists often return for repeated visits. many are attracted by the boom in korean popular culture. over 3 million japanese tourists have visited south korea so far this year. that's up 14% from a year earlier. but the numbers slumped nearly 4% in september. and over 20% in october. the south's culture ministry says strained relations with japan may be to blame. the two sides came to verbal blows in august over the disputed takeshima islands.

people who survived the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern japan last year were praised for their patience and endurance. japanese have a word to describe this mindset, gaman. the same word applies to the japanese-americans sent to internment camps during world war ii. they showed dignity and perseverance not just by making do but producing crafts and works of art. >> the petals on this brooch were made from shells found in the ground at one of the internment camps. the internees also made their own chests, chairs and other furniture. fashioned from off-cuts of wood. these are on display at an exhibition called the art of gaman showing in tokyo.

the works were made by japanese-americans who were interned following the attack on pearl harbor. over three and a half years, about 120,000 japanese-americans were sent to camps far from their homes. they were allowed to take only one item of luggage with them. to improve their living conditions and to help endure their internment, people started making things using materials they found around their camps. some did more than make furniture, they created artworks such as this sculpture.

the snake figure was made by takezo obata, born in a farming village in hiroshima. he moved to america at the age of 17 to start a new life. overcoming hurdles such as prejudice, he worked hard in orchards and stock farms and became a successful rancher. but in 1942, after america entered world war ii, he was among those sent to internment camps. his farm and livestock were confiscated. obata lost everything he had worked to build for 40 years. he began channelling his energy into making art. he fashioned the rattlesnake from a mesquite branch he found. many internees have recalled how his fortitude and endurance helped keep them going. >> it's a reflection of himself, right. so it would be strength of his own personality or of a human being in general. >> reporter: most of the pieces

in the exhibition had never been put on show until recently. >> this one is a mockingbird. >> reporter: they were gathered by delphine, a third-generation japanese-american. she was prompted to do this after coming across a small wooden proof while organizing her mother's mementos. her mothered a rarely talked to her about the internment camp. and she began wondering why. >> this is a little coat hanger. >> reporter: as she began talking with other people about their experiences, she began to understand why her parents had barely mentioned the camps. they didn't want their children to feel negative about america, the country where they were growing up. this too arose out of the japanese mindset of gaman. >> i'd like for them to think of

the people behind these, their human spirit and how much they had, you know, worked from an inner strength. >> reporter: bearing the unbearable and remaining positive, that was the spirit of the japanese-americans that gave rise to the art of gaman. >> people showing their endurance and patience. people in northern japan are wearing their heavy coats as they deal with wintry conditions. sayaka mori tells us more in her world weather forecast. >> hi, there. winter has already kicked off in northern japan. we've been seeing snow showers since last saturday. we have some footage coming out of hokkaido, so let's take a look. the latest first snowfall on record sunday. it has been snowing thanks to strong, cold air cresting overhead. 20 centimeters of snow was

observed on wednesday. the people in hokkaido woke up yesterday to a huge pileup of snow. the city saw record snowfall last january. the tourists enjoyed it but for local residents the snow means the start of endless plowing all the way to spring. lots of heavy snow there. but the conditions are easing in northern japan today and winds are also dying down. as for the southern half of the continent, dry of this moment but turning wet as we head into friday as a new system comes in from the continent. right now we are seeing heavy rain showers in southeastern china. hujan province is expected to see as much as 100 millimeters ofain over the next 24 hours. lots of heavy rain coming down here. to the south, sunny weather should return to the central and northern parts of the philippines. here are your temperatures today. a cold air mass is blanketing the north. only minus 10 in ulan bator.

cold air continues to sag toward the southeast. beijing at 7 on thursday. but your morning low on saturday could drop down to minus 5. tokyo looking at seasonal temperatures with a high of 15. but it will continue to cool down over the next several days. all right, moving into the americas, then, we've been talking about severe weather in the northwest. lots of heavy rain, heavy snow, and also blustery conditions. wet and windy conditions are quite common for this region at this time of year. but this time is quite exceptional. we've had more than 300 millimeters of rain in parts of oregon. that's more than million rainfall for november. 36 centimeters of snow in montana. and hurricane-force wind gusts recorded in parts of washington. the good news is that conditions are starting to ease in the northwest. however, central canada and the northern plains will be severely affected by the storm on thursday. as for the rest of the continent, then, tranquil

weather will continue into thanksgiving day. some showers likely from the southern plains into the great lakes region on thursday. but it's not too severe. heavy snow showers on the cards for central canada. lots of sunshine for you in the southwest and temperatures will be relatively warm. 23 degrees expected in los angeles. 26 degrees in houston. 17 in chicago. that's about 10 degrees higher than seasonal. on the other hand, very chilly in winni peg. minus 5 expected. this blast of cold air continues to sag toward the southeast. chicago will get down to 4 degrees on your black friday. meanwhile, new york city, 13 on thursday. but we'll be cooling down to 7 degrees on saturday. that's it for me now. here's your extended forecast.

and that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in

tokyo. do stay with us. we'll be back with more of your updates at the top of the hour.